Sad Britney | ||||
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EP by Christopher Dallman | ||||
Released | November 9, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre | Folk, alternative, cover album | |||
Length | 11:53 | |||
Label | Beauteous Bird | |||
Producer | Rachel Alina, Barrie Maguire | |||
Christopher Dallman chronology | ||||
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Sad Britney is the third EP from American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman. It was released on November 9, 2009 by Beauteous Bird Records. After hearing Dallman's cover of Britney Spears's "Gimme More", producer Rachel Alina suggested releasing an EP of Spears's songs to bring attention to his music. The EP also included covers of "Radar", "Toxic" and "... Baby One More Time". All the songs were recorded during the first day of the recording of his second EP, Never Was. The EP became Dallman's first record to chart on iTunes. His music video for "Gimme More" received attention from Spears's fans who misinterpreted his message and thought he was parodying her, which he denied.
In late 2007, Dallman played a cover of Spears's "Gimme More" (2007), which was her current single at the time, in many of his live performances. He had previously done many "folky cover[s]" of popular pop songs. He explained that "My own songs tend to lean toward the blue, so every once in a while a cover is a nice to thing change the pace and break up the mood a bit". [1] In 2009, Dallman's friend and web designer Sean Akers moved to Los Angeles and started pushing him to record music again. Akers introduced him to another singer-songwriter, Philadelphia-based George Stanford. Rachel Alina, who was the assistant engineer on his 2004 debut album Race the Light, also moved to Los Angeles the same year. She and Dallman reconnected, and he said that at that moment, "I knew that I had someone that would make me feel safe enough in the studio to really open up and let out the love". [2] Dallman showed Alina his cover of "Gimme More", which she "loved". [1] Alina, along with Akers, suggested a project of Spears's covers, which could raise his profile and bring his music to new audience as well as, Dallman explained, "[making] a really fucking cool little record". [2] He spent the next few days in his apartment, making arrangements to three more Spears songs, "...Baby One More Time" (1998), "Toxic" (2004) and "Radar" (2007). [1] Alina also introduced him to Barrie Maguire, who used to be a member of American rock band The Wallflowers. [2]
Dallman, Alina and Maguire entered Redstar Studios in Los Angeles to record his next EP, Never Was. It was the first time Dallman had entered a recording studio in five years and he felt anxious whether he could deliver or not. During the first day, they "decided to have some fun" and "play around" with the covers. "Toxic" and "Gimme More" were the first to be recorded, with the first one "com[ing] together really quickly". Dallman was convinced "...Baby One More Time" was not going to work until George Stanford suggested adding a horn track to the song. "Radar" was the last to be recorded, which Dallman deemed his favorite. The guitar and vocals for the four covers were recorded during the day. The following days, they started to work on Never Was, but listened to Sad Britney as Dallman explained, "every once in a while whenever our heads got too deep". He ultimately decided to release the EP, saying, "As we added each new production element to the songs, they got better and better. We really loved it". [1]
Sad Britney was released on November 9, 2009. [3] The cover art was designed by Sean Akers. [2] The same day it peaked at number six on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart, Dallman first record to chart. [2] On December 8, 2009, he released a music video for "Gimme More", consisting of pictures of him and his friends Liz and Josh going out at night. He explained that, "I have no money for promotion and must make the most of the resources that I have at my disposal. [...] While it’s clearly an evening of debauchery, the energy of the clip is positive and fun and doesn’t have any of the darkness Britney’s video has". [4] The video attracted many viewers and Dallman commented on the situation,
"I definitely found a bunch of new besties after that video, but doing anything 'Britney' also opens one up to a whole crop of 'haters', I’ve discovered. I’ve gotten tons of mean messages in a variety of different languages and I will definitely do my best to avoid the temptation of reading YouTube comments ever again! [...] I would love to know [if Spears likes the EP]. There have been a few folks who have misinterpreted what I was doing and thought that I was somehow making fun of her, which really isn’t the case. I have such a place in my heart for Britney, particularly the Blackout album. Every song on that record is top-notch pop and is exactly what it wants to be. There’s a place for everything". [1]
On December 10, 2009 during one of his concerts, he played the four covers in the order they are in the EP. [4] On January 29, 2010, Dallman announced he had no plans to release the EP on CD. [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Gimme More" | Nate Hills, James Washington, Keri Hilson, Marcella Araica | 2:24 |
2. | "Radar" | Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Henrik Jonback, Balewa Muhammad, Candice Nelson, Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis, Patrick "J.Que" Smith | 3:10 |
3. | "Toxic" | Bloodshy & Avant, Cathy Dennis, Henrik Jonback | 3:15 |
4. | "...Baby One More Time" | Max Martin | 3:04 |
Britney Jean Spears is an American singer and songwriter. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including over 70 million in the United States, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. She has earned numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 15 Guinness World Records, six MTV Video Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, the inaugural Radio Disney Icon Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her heavily choreographed videos earned her the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
"Everytime" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was released as the third single from In the Zone on May 10, 2004, by Jive Records. After her relationship with Justin Timberlake ended in 2002, Spears became friends with her background singer Annet Artani. They started writing songs together at Spears' house in Los Angeles, and then traveled to Lombardy, Italy, where they collaborated on "Everytime". Musically, it is a piano-driven pop ballad, which lyrically plea for forgiveness for inadvertently hurting a former lover. Spears composed the music herself and wrote the lyrics with Artani. According to Artani, it was written as a response to Timberlake's 2003 hit "Cry Me a River", which Spears has neither confirmed nor denied.
A Static Lullaby was an American post-hardcore band that formed in Chino Hills, California, in 2001.
"Break the Ice" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her fifth studio album, Blackout (2007). It was released as the third and final single from the album on March 3, 2008, by Jive Records. The song was written by Nate "Danja" Hills, Jim Beanz, Keri Hilson and Marcella Araica, while production was handled by Danja and vocal production was handled by Beanz. "Radar" was originally planned to be released as the third single, but "Break the Ice" was released after it was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. Musically, "Break the Ice" is an electro-R&B song with influences of crunk. The song opens with a choir and features synthesizers. Its lyrics deal with an attraction between two people. "Break the Ice" received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its lyrics, production, Spears' vocal performance and deemed it a strong electronic song from the record.
"...Baby One More Time" is the debut single of American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album of the same title (1999). It was written by Max Martin and produced by Martin and Rami. Released on September 28, 1998, by Jive Records, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts in at least 22 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it earned triple-platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and was the country's best-selling single of 1999. The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold.
"Toxic" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003). It was written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. Released as the second single from In the Zone, the song was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for her album Body Language, but she turned it down. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single, Spears selected "Toxic" instead. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of bhangra music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is accompanied by breathy vocals and high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Laxmikant–Pyarelal's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981). Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous and addictive drug.
Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Kelis, Girls' Generation, Christina Milian, Sky Ferreira, Hikaru Utada and BoA. In addition to their production work, Karlsson and Winnberg are also members of the synth-pop group Miike Snow, alongside lead vocalist Andrew Wyatt.
American entertainer Britney Spears has released 47 music videos and ten video albums. She has appeared in several films, television shows, and commercials. Spears made her acting debut at age 11 in the television show The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994), playing various roles. She then made her feature film debut in Longshot (2001) as a cameo, portraying a flight attendant. In 2002, she starred as Lucy Wagner in Crossroads. The film grossed $61 million worldwide and earned her a nomination for Best Female Breakthrough Performance at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards. The same year, she gave her voice to the character Donner in the American dubbing of Robbie the Reindeer's television specials Hooves of Fire (1999) and Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002). In television series, she portrayed the guest roles of Amber-Louise and Abby in Will & Grace (2006) and How I Met Your Mother (2008), respectively. Spears also has released a few television documentaries, including Britney: For the Record (2008).
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"One" is a song by American singer Sky Ferreira. The song was written by Ferreira, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, Magnus Lidehäll, Marit Bergman, and Pontus Winnberg, and produced by Bloodshy & Avant. It was released as a single on August 20, 2010.
"I Wanna Go" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing by Savan Kotecha. Spears first posted on her Twitter account a link to a clip of the song in February 2011, a month prior to the album's release. Following a poll on her official website, "I Wanna Go" was chosen as the third single of the album, and Jive Records released it on June 14, 2011.
"Criminal" is the fourth and final single from American singer Britney Spears' seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). "Criminal" was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing by Tiffany Amber. After Spears first listened to the song, she felt it was different and unlike anything she had heard before. She posted a snippet of it online on March 2, 2011, prior to the album's release. "Criminal" was chosen as a single by a poll on her Facebook page, as Spears explained it was a way to give back to her fans. The artwork for the single was released on September 14, 2011.